Bulldogs Welcome Auburn For Crucial SEC Series

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State and Auburn are locked in a tie for eighth in the SEC standings with 7-8 records in conference play. The Bulldogs will welcome the No. 18 Tigers to Starkville for a crucial three-game series with both programs sitting just 2.5 games back from a top-four seed and first-round bye at the SEC Tournament next month.

Friday and Saturday's games will air nationally on SEC Network with the series finale set for SEC Network+. The Bulldogs (28-17) are coming off of two midweek victories after going toe-to-toe with No. 2 Alabama last weekend and dropping two one-run games to the Crimson Tide.

Auburn (34-9) has won five consecutive games, but the Tigers were swept by then No. 10 Arkansas in their last SEC series.

With Wednesday night's victory over UT Martin, the Bulldogs assured themselves of a .500 or better record at the end of the regular season. State's RPI is No. 27, and MSU has played the seventh-strongest schedule in the country. Auburn will be the seventh ranked team that MSU faces this year, and five of State's six conference series thus far will have been against ranked programs.

The softball program is the only Bulldog team at home this weekend, and head coach Samantha Ricketts is encouraging fans to pack Nusz Park. Admission to MSU's home softball games is always free. Friday night is one of two scorecard bingo nights remaining on the schedule, and on Sunday the third of four All-Time Team trading card sets will be given away.

Saturday is Park in the Bark, giving fans the opportunity to bring their pups inside the stadium for one day of the season. All dogs must be leashed and current on vaccinations. Owners must fill out a waiver before entering the stadium with their pet and must sit in a designated dog seating section of the grandstand. Community water bowls, treats and bandanas will be provided for dogs in attendance.

Game Coverage

Leading Off

Success In SEC Series: The Bulldogs are 14-9 in their last eight regular-season SEC series dating back to 2021. A 14-9 record would be the Bulldogs best since the league moved to an eight-series conference slate in 2013.

Glovework: State has turned five double plays in its last five games and is now third in the SEC with eight in league play.

Persistent Paige: Paige Cook is the toughest strikeout in the SEC, averaging one punchout every 16.4 at-bats. She is also State's best two-out hitter with a .421 average and 16 RBIs.

Let's Go Streaking: Mia Davidson is riding the 20th reached base streak of 20 or more games in school history. Her career-long streak of 25 games is tied for No. 10 in MSU history.

Multiples For Mia: Davidson holds the school record with 54 career multi-RBI games, and her 65 career multi-hit games are fifth in MSU history.

All Hail The Queen: Davidson's 87 career homers are the most in SEC baseball or softball history and tied for sixth in NCAA softball history.

Honor Roll: Davidson was named a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award on Wednesday for the second time in her career. On Thursday, she was announced as MSU's nominee for the SEC's H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Post-Graduate Scholarship.

Pinch-Hit Purvis: Addison Purvis is MSU's most-common pinch-hitter, turning in a .375 average (6-for-16) with five walks.

Quick Starts: The Bulldogs have outscored opponents, 103-28, in the first two innings. MSU is 23-2 when leading after the second.

Lineup Log: Samantha Ricketts has used 32 different batting orders and 21 different defensive alignments to start the game through 45 contests.

About Auburn (34-9, 7-8 SEC)

Rankings: NFCA Coaches – 18 | USA Softball – 18 | D1Softball – 19 | Softball America – 19
Head Coach: Mickey Dean | Record at AUB: 157-82 (5th Year) | Career Record: 635-254 (16th Year)
Batting Average: .322 | Runs Per Game: 6.8 | Hits Per Game: 8.2 | Slugging Pct: .609
ERA: 2.57 | K/7: 9.4 | K/BB Ratio: 4.9 | Opp. Batting Avg: .216

Series History
Overall: 32-34 | Home: 18-15 | Away: 13-18 | Neutral: 1-1
Current Streak: Lost 2 | Last Meeting: Mar. 24, 2019 in Auburn, Ala. (MSU 0, AUB 9)

Scouting the Tigers
Auburn has won 30 games for the first time since 2019. Freshman Bri Ellis is two homers shy of the Tigers' freshman record and her 16 long balls are 10th in single-season history. Maddie Penta is fourth nationally with 21 wins in the circle, and Shelby Lowe is fourth in the nation with five saves. Penta is the first Auburn pitcher to record a 200-strikeout season since 2010 and ranks 15th in the nation (201). Nearly half (36 of 74) of Auburn's home runs have been hit by freshmen. The Tigers' 74 homers are fourth in school history.

On Deck

MSU will host Southern Miss on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.

Follow the Bulldogs

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Bulldogs Welcome Auburn For Crucial SEC Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Mia Davidson

Addison Purvis

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Welcome Auburn For Crucial SEC Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Cook

Mia Davidson

Addison Purvis

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